ABSTRACT
The first of the three case studies describing the revolution of 1989 is “the fall of the wall” and its cultural consequences. This chapter is an interpretation of the ways this event was historically pre-coded, symbolically crystallized and finally iconically resignified over time. The iconicity of the Wall is contrasted with the symbols of the collapse of Communism in Poland. The key research question that this chapter aims to answer is what makes certain political icons stronger than others, and – ultimately – what are the characteristics of iconic power?
